Brownwood, Texas - The Howard Payne University volleyball team hosted the Cowgirls from Hardin-Simmons University during Senior Day at the Brownwood Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. After being outpaced during the first set, the Lady Jackets fought hard, though eventually losing the match 0-3 (13-25, 22-25, 19-25.)
Senior
Cheyanne Lovelady led the Lady Jackets in assists and blocks with 24 and one respectively. She also had four kills to help keep the team competitive with the Cowgirls, who were seeking some revenge from Howard Payne's 3-2 come from behind victory in Abilene last month.
Arianna Rehm finished out her college career by registering a .500 attack percentage while
Zhartaezia Bradley added nine kills, one service ace and one block in the defeat. The freshmen duo of
Jordan Livingston (13) and
McKenna Walker (10) collected a total of 23 digs and
Kailey Doering had five kills to close out Howard Payne's 2017 home schedule.
Hardin-Simmons came out and set the tone for the match early, racing out to a 12-4 lead to start the game. The Lady Jackets were able to rally and cut the deficit to 13-7 but a 12-5 run sealed the first set, 25-13 for the Cowgirls.
The second set was fiercely fought from both sides and there was a lot of intense volleys. Howard Payne jumped out to a 6-1 lead while
Ashley Moore served the ball for the Lady Jackets to start the set. But Hardin-Simmons rallied back to tie the match at 8-8 and the two sides exchanged point the rest of the way. The Cowgirls went on a 7-3 run to pull ahead and take the set, 25-22.
Hoping to regain some of the momentum they tapped into during the third set of the two teams prior matchup in Abilene, The Lady Jackets came out intent on forcing the match into extra sets. They were able to race out to a 10-4 lead before Hardin-Simmons would again mount a comeback. They tied the game up at 11-11 and then exchanged leads with Howard Payne the rest of the way. The Cowgirls went on a 5 -0 run to close out the set and clinch the game with the 25-19 victory.
The Lady Jackets will end their season with road trips to San Antonio and Colorado Springs. They will first face off against St. Mary's University (TX.) on Tuesday, October 24th at 6:00 pm. They will then head on to the Spike It Up Classic at Colorado College. Links to live video and stats can be found on HPUSports.com and be sure to follow along on social media, @HPUvball on Twitter and @HPUSports Instagram, FaceBook and YouTube.
